Erastus Wolcott (1722–1793) was an American politician and a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

state militia commander during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He served in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

for over twenty years and was a justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in ...

from 1789 to 1792.

Early life and family

Wolcott was born on September 21, 1722, in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, to parents Roger Wolcott and Sarah Drake. Little is known of his early life or education. The Wolcotts were a prominent family in one of the largest and wealthiest towns in Connecticut. Roger Wolcott was colonial governor of Connecticut between 1751 and 1754. Erastus’s brother-in-law, Matthew Griswold, was Connecticut governor from 1784 to 1786 and his younger brother,

Oliver Wolcott Oliver Wolcott Sr. (November 20, 1726 December 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father and politician. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Connecticut, and t ...

, served as lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1787 to 1795 and governor from 1796 to his death in 1797.

Political career

Erastus Wolcott served in the Connecticut General Assembly in 1758 to 1762, returning as representative of the newly formed town of East Windsor in 1768. In May 1773 he was named to the colony's committee of correspondence, which selected him as a delegate to the

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. It met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the British Navy ...

in 1774, though he refused to serve outside Connecticut. In May 1776 he was elected Speaker of the Assembly. From May 1778 through March 1779 he advised on the war effort as a Council of Safety member. Following the war, Wolcott served on the Council of Assistants from 1786 through 1789. During the Confederation Period, he advocated for Connecticut's interests but voted in favor of ratifying the Constitution in 1788. In October 1789 Wolcott accepted appointment to the Connecticut Supreme Court, resigning due to ill health in 1792. He had been a longtime

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for East Windsor and neighboring Ellington. In 1790, he received an honorary degree from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

Military career

Concurrent with his legislative service, Wolcott rose through the ranks of the colonial militia. He became a major in October 1762 and colonel in 1774. In 1775, he accompanied

William Samuel Johnson William Samuel Johnson (October 7, 1727 – November 14, 1819) was an American Founding Father and statesman. Before the Revolutionary War, he served as a militia lieutenant before being relieved following his rejection of his election to the Fir ...

to Boston to treat with General

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of the ...

. Early the following year, he led a regiment of militia to reinforce

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's army besieging Gage's army in Boston. In July he moved to

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa * New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town * ...

, commanding a state militia regiment and strengthening fortifications at

Fort Griswold Fort Griswold is a former American defensive fortification in Groton, Connecticut named after Deputy Governor Matthew Griswold. The fort played a key role in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, in correspondence with Fort Trumbull ...

and

Fort Trumbull Fort Trumbull is a fort near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound in New London, Connecticut and named for Governor Jonathan Trumbull. The original fort was built in 1777, but the present fortification was built between 1839 and ...

. In December 1776 he became brigadier general of the first brigade in Connecticut's reorganized militia. Wolcott served primarily in an administrative capacity, recruiting, marching, and supplying the troops. From April to June 1777 he personally commanded a detachment stationed on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

. He resigned his commission in January 1781 in protest over Governor

Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (October 12, 1710August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served as Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Trumbull and Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island were the only men to serve as gov ...

's direction of the war effort.

Personal life

Wolcott married Jerusha Wolcott on February 10, 1746. They had seven children, five of whom survived him. Wolcott died in South Windsor on September 14, 1793, at the age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolcott, Erastus 1722 births 1793 deaths Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution Militia generals in the American Revolution 18th-century American politicians People from Windsor, Connecticut People from East Windsor, Connecticut Military personnel from Connecticut Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818)